Contrary to earlier assertions, the coach of Hatayspor, the Turkish team which Ghanaian midfielder Christian Atsu plays for, announced on Wednesday that the footballer's whereabouts are still unknown following the devastating Kahramanmaraş earthquake which struck the region earlier this week.
On Tuesday, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) said Atsu had "been successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment" after the 7.8-magnitude quake struck Türkiye and neighboring Syria early on Monday.
Atsu, 31, spent four seasons at Chelsea before a permanent transfer to Newcastle in 2017. In September, 2022 he signed for Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor, based in the southern province of Hatay near the epicenter of the quake.
"I don't have good news, still not found under the rubble," Hatayspor boss Volkan Demirel told AFP.
Atsu's image agent Gaynor Frascione said she was worried about her client.
"We don't know. Everyone is trying to locate in which medical center he could be," she told AFP.
"We don't know (if he's still alive). There were also 18 Ghanaian students in this building, the ambassador for Türkiye said he was rescued, a doctor made a statement, but it's complete mayhem," she added.
Atsu spent five seasons at Newcastle, playing more than 100 games before leaving for Saudi Arabia in 2021.
He won the last of his 60 Ghana national caps in September 2019.
Dozens of nations have offered aid since the quake hit, with freezing weather hampering emergency efforts. The latest estimate of the death toll in Türkiye and Syria is above 11,700.
The Turkish football federation announced in the wake of the earthquake that all club games had been postponed.
On the other hand, Hatayspor Sports Director Taner Savut is still believed to be trapped under the rubble.
